Tribe members mourn the loss of artifacts, multiple homes after fire tore through Miccosukee Reservation in West Miami-Dade

Tribe members are picking up the pieces one day after a massive fire tore through their reservation in West Miami-Dade Homes buildings and historic artwork are gone as a effect of the blaze that erupted Sunday night near the Indian Village just near Southwest Eight Street Skyforce captured the aftermath after over a dozen people were displaced following the fire A total of five structures and nine vehicles were involved coupled with the complexity of power lines that collapsed prevented firefighters from advancing hose lines One of those structures destroyed by the flames was the Creativity Center a place filled with Miccosukee history and cultural artifacts The only reason I left is because a propane tank exploded right there stated Khadija Cypress who has lived at the village for years Khadija late grandfather a former chairman of the tribe helped her revealed the Creativity Center When I look forward I see this bright orange light and I just went Hey there s a fire And the guard guard was like What I narrated him There s a fire at Mary Jane s house And that s when I drove close to it running to warn people if there was anybody in that house noted Khadija A propane tank exploded right there Seven years of a lot of hard work gone in like seconds Like that s all it took Over Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the three alarm blaze locating three structures fully engulfed by flames We as a region are devastated and much was lost reported Chairman Talbert Cypress of the Miccosukee Tribe This generation has not seen anything like this Tribe members revealed the damage from the flames total millions of dollars What we have lost there is a lot of history in terms of the patchwork and in terms of the kind of stitching and sewing that that has been done over the decades mentioned Curtis Osceola of the Miccosukee Tribe Though they mourn the loss of their cultural remnants residents take comfort in the fact that nobody was seriously hurt Our region stands ready to rebuild to create new memories and new history at Tiger Camp disclosed Talbert Society and resilience thrives within our people and we are thankful that no one was hurt At last check there are no reports of injuries The fire has since been placed under control The cause is under scrutiny According to the tribe the fire was sparked by a kitchen fire